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arXiv · 2511.15636

The Cherenkov Camera for the PBR mission

Valentina Scotti·Antonio Anastasio·Mario Bertaina·Alfonso Boiano·Rossella Caruso·Cristian De Santis·Vincenzo Masone·Marco Mese·Giuseppe Osteria·Beatrice Panico·Giuseppe Passeggio·Francesco Perfetto·Haroon Akhtar Qureshi·Ester Ricci
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Abstract

The POEMMA-Balloon with Radio (PBR) mission is a NASA super-pressure balloon experiment designed to advance the detection of ultra-high-energy cosmic rays, high-altitude horizontal air showers, and astrophysical neutrinos. A key instrument of PBR is the Cherenkov Camera (CC), which utilizes a 2048-pixel SiPM camera to detect the optical Cherenkov emission from cosmic-ray-induced air showers and search for upward-going signals indicative of neutrinos. The CC operates in the 320-900 nm spectral range with a 10 ns integration time, leveraging a bi-focal optical design to enhance detection efficiency. The CC enables precise reconstruction of shower trajectories and provides valuable data on cosmic rays' composition and energy distribution. PBR's sub-orbital altitude is particularly advantageous for these measurements, offering a unique vantage point that bridges the observational gap between ground-based and space-based instruments. Additionally, the CC will play a critical role in neutrino searches, detecting tau-lepton decay showers from Earth-skimming neutrinos associated with astrophysical transients. By integrating the CC with fluorescence and radio detection systems, PBR will pioneer a multi-messenger approach to high-energy cosmic phenomena, refining observational techniques for future space-based missions. This contribution will describe the current status of the development of the CC as well as its expected performance.

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Valentina Scotti, Antonio Anastasio, Mario Bertaina, Alfonso Boiano, Rossella Caruso, Cristian De Santis, Vincenzo Masone, Marco Mese, Giuseppe Osteria, Beatrice Panico, Giuseppe Passeggio, Francesco Perfetto, Haroon Akhtar Qureshi, Ester Ricci. 2025-11-19. The Cherenkov Camera for the PBR mission. https://doi.org/10.22323/1.501.0391

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